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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25230415">Extra Attention</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/stratumgermanitivum/pseuds/stratumgermanitivum'>stratumgermanitivum</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/whiskeyandspite/pseuds/whiskeyandspite'>whiskeyandspite</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Traditional Values (A/B/O Series) [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hannibal (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Biting, Blatant Flirting, Bonding, Claiming, Courtship, First Kiss, First Time, Flirting, M/M, Shameless Will, Traditionalist, collaring</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 02:47:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,750</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25230415</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/stratumgermanitivum/pseuds/stratumgermanitivum, https://archiveofourown.org/users/whiskeyandspite/pseuds/whiskeyandspite</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>“I will be frank with you, Mr. Graham, I hold rather… traditionalist views when it comes to courtship.”</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>“As do I.”</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>“Your comportation would suggest otherwise.” Hannibal’s voice was softer now, not hopeful, not really. But leaving an opening for Will to contradict him, to convince him.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>“I know what I want,” Will said, with a shrug that sent the hospital gown fully down his arm, exposing just a hint of his chest despite his position. “Sometimes getting it involves a little mischief. But I’m always open to being… corrected.”</i>
</p>
<p>Will knows what he wants, and that's Hannibal. Now, if only Hannibal would open his eyes and see that too.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Traditional Values (A/B/O Series) [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1827844</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>78</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>992</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Extra Attention</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChesapeakeStripper/gifts">ChesapeakeStripper</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is a sequel/prequel to our story <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24297313">Ever Been Surprised?</a>, so you can actually read them in order or out of order, nothing is spoiled for the other story, and that story makes mention to things that occur here, so go for gold!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Will had worked twelve hours already, and he was sore.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He’d held a secret hope that things might settle down when he was promoted to Homicide, but he’d known even then it was a ridiculous thought. America held a surprisingly wide selection of murderers. Some of the things Will saw for work were, to put it bluntly, batshit crazy. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And sometimes he got stabbed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I really don’t think I need stitches,” he told the ER nurse for the third time. She looked thoroughly unimpressed as she forced him to press the new compress tighter against his wound. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’ll let Doctor Lecter decide that,” she said, frowning at the old compress in her hand, already soaked through.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think the bleeding’s slowed down,” Will said. He was only here at all because he’d been stabbed on duty, and his boss had personally forced him into the ER. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He winced as he adjusted his position on the bed. He’d refused to lie down -- what was the point? -- and sat balanced on the edge of it, rocking gently in pain. And he </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> in pain; Will wasn’t delusional, he’d been </span>
  <em>
    <span>stabbed,</span>
  </em>
  <span> he just hated the pity party. He was certain that had he come in with the same injury as an Alpha, or even a Beta, he wouldn’t have been so fussed over.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He pulled the compress away to look at the wound -- still pulsing thick blood from its gaping maw -- and frowned. He just hadn’t been quick enough to dodge away in time. It was his fault, really. He collected many lessons on his skin, this was just one of them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s really not a big deal, I can just go home,” Will tried again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t advise it,” the voice was low, accented, and Will immediately took a deep breath in. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Alpha.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Sure, he’d worked with, and worked under, and interacted with many of that dynamic, but his body had never responded so eagerly to any of them before.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This man smelled like his own, like an unfulfilled desire.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tall, broad-shouldered. The doctor-- Doctor Lecter, hadn’t she said?-- was the picture of Alphan Ideal. Will was pretty sure there had to be pictures of him on the covers of some Victorian romance novels, the kind where the heroines swooned at first scent. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Will sort of felt like swooning too, but that might have been the blood loss.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The doctor had brown eyes, warm in color, but not in emotion. There was a distant look to him, as though humanity was a costume he put on for the day and shed when he returned home from work. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Will knew that look. He wore it well, himself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The day was beginning to look up. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Will Graham,” Will said, holding out his hand to shake, tilting his head just so to expose his scent gland without drawing attention to it. He saw the moment his natural scent reached the doctor, the very second he was close enough to smell anything at all over the iron of Will’s blood. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was a flicker in Doctor Lecter’s eyes, a flash of recognition, a flare of his nostrils. Then the blank work-smile was back into place.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That was alright. Will liked a challenge.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Doctor Hannibal Lecter,” the doctor said with a quick shake of his hand. “May I?” He asked, gesturing towards the bloody compress against Will’s shoulder.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Please,” Will’s eyelids lowered, obscuring his more obvious staring, though he was sure the doctor felt his gaze regardless. There had been a moment, a spark, and Will wasn’t going to back down. It really was a fallacy that Omegas were the weaker dynamic, that they were incapable of anything but being bred and demanding attention.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He made a soft sound of pain when Hannibal took the compress away and tensed in anticipation of more. The doctor’s touch was surprisingly gentle, his hands warm even through the gloves he wore.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s very deep,” he commented, leaning back before guiding Will to turn a little, the new position allowing more light to fall on the wound. “But appears to be clean.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fucker got the drop on me,” Will replied, catching Hannibal’s eyes when the other flicked them up at the words. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He thinks swearing is unbecoming,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Will thought to himself, bringing his bottom lip into his mouth to gently bite against.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He should not have had the chance to,” Hannibal replied carefully. “An Omega shouldn’t be putting himself in such precarious positions.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I enjoy my work.” Will lied effortlessly. He watched the man’s brows furrow at the words, at the implication, and tilted his head back a little more, body language entirely at odds with his words.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I need to clean the wound, and stitch it up,” Hannibal said at length. “And I would like for you to stay overnight for observation.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is that necessary?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Will shivered at the tone, his smile growing. He knew stab wounds. It had nothing to do with observation, and everything to do with how Hannibal had latched on to Will’s scent.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Old-fashioned, reluctant to let his injured Omega out of his sight-- and if Will wasn’t his yet, he would be soon enough.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For all of his bravado, Will still couldn’t bear the pain well enough to maneuver his arm out of his sleeve. All the better, because it meant Hannibal had to help him, his hands warm where they skimmed ever-so-lightly over Will’s chest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Will wondered if he could get away with accidentally leaving it behind, flooding the room with his scent, maybe even eeking out into the hallway, where Hannibal couldn’t escape it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They were perfectly matched, their pheromones uniquely compatible. And there was something in Hannibal’s eyes. Something intimidating, but familiar. Something Will wanted to uncover, inch by inch. If Hannibal didn’t see it yet, he would.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The anesthetic worked well. It meant Will could start forming a plan, rather than focusing on the pain. He could tell Hannibal was the type to try and ignore his instincts. Solitary. Isolated.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Hannibal pulled back, wound washed, stitched, and bandaged, Will leaned forward. He drew the flat of his tongue along the underside of Hannibal’s jaw, an intimate Omegan gesture of gratitude.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>One typically reserved for one’s bonded Alpha, not any person they happened to meet.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hannibal stiffened. He stayed so impossibly still that were Will not so close as to see his pulse ticking in his throat, he would assume the man wasn’t real at all. After a moment he took a breath, released it, and stepped back, snapping his gloves off almost harshly and moving to the small sink by the wall to wash his hands.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He said nothing, but Will could read the desire bowing his shoulders, the temptation sinking through his skin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Will wasn’t always so shameless, he rarely showed any deference to the Alphas he worked with unless absolutely necessary. But this was too perfect. He could feel it. He knew Hannibal could as well. And if it took Will being obscene to get and hold his attention then so be it. Should Hannibal feel the need to punish him for his actions once they were mated, all the better.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you, doctor,” Will murmured, rolling his shoulder experimentally as Hannibal took his time drying his hands.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mr. Graham,”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes?” Will licked his lips with a smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I would advise against such intimate shows of gratitude with the staff.” Hannibal told him, there was warning in his tone, and something else too; a longing, a </span>
  <em>
    <span>need.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Will smiled wider.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But I’m so very grateful.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You are shameless,” Hannibal snapped, before frowning and shaking his head. “My apologies. It isn’t uncommon for stress and medication to bring down inhibition. I merely want to ensure your safety in my facility.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Will blinked at him, cocking his head, aching for the man to step nearer again so Will could breathe him in. “I feel very safe,” he told him softly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hannibal’s shoulders rose. Just a fraction, but Will saw it. An inhalation, bracing himself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This was going to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>fun</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’ll have you moved to a room for overnight observation,” Hannibal said stiffly. “Someone will… </span>
  <em>
    <span>I </span>
  </em>
  <span>will come to check on you in a little while.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was an anger to him, not rage, but the sort of irritation Will could only dream of provoking in an Alpha. In old-fashioned stories, this was the sort of anger that ended in an Omega bottoms-up over their Alpha’s knee.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Corporal punishment of Omegas was outdated and nearly extinct, but Will craved it. When Hannibal finally gave in, he was going to bear </span>
  <em>
    <span>bruises</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A nurse got Will settled into his room, frowning when she checked his chart. Will had no business being here, he knew, but he had made himself irresistible. Hannibal may have been unwilling to bite Will then and there, but he was also unwilling to let him out of his sight. </span>
  <b>
    <em>Or</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span> let me be touched by another doctor</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Will thought with a wry smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Hannibal came a few hours later to check on him, Will made sure his hospital gown was slipping off his shoulder, his hair mussed from the pillow, his lips bitten red. He’d had too many years to think of the sort of thing he’d do if he ever found an Alpha that piqued his curiosity.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How are you feeling?” Hannibal asked, closing the door quietly behind himself as he approached the bed. Will raised his eyes to the ceiling panels with a soft sigh.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Better,” his tone suggested the </span>
  <em>
    <span>now</span>
  </em>
  <span> without it being spoken. The doctor released a put-upon sigh and clasped his hands professionally in front of him. He stood close enough that should he reach out he would be able to touch Will, but not close enough to be inappropriate.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Have you eaten?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes,” Will couldn’t help but smile. “Are you always so protective of your patients, doctor?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A smile ticked at the corner of Hannibal’s mouth but didn’t fully manifest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Only those who are particularly irksome,” he replied, his tone warm. “There will be no reason for you to stay past morning. I’ll make sure the paperwork for your discharge is prepared and left with the charge nurse.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you leaving?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“While the term ‘married to my work’ has been applied to me before, I do have a home to return to,” Hannibal replied. Will’s eyes narrowed in pleasure. “I check on all my patients before I leave my shift.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Very thoughtful,” Will drew his knees up, wrapping his arms around them. “And what if a patient required extra attention and care?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I would hardly be doing my job if I was neglectful.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What if I required extra attention and care?” Will rephrased, amused. The Alpha hummed, and stepped nearer.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You do not.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And if I </span>
  <em>
    <span>wanted</span>
  </em>
  <span> it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hannibal’s nostrils flared. “I will be frank with you, Mr. Graham, I hold rather… traditionalist views when it comes to courtship.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“As do I.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Your comportation would suggest otherwise.” Hannibal’s voice was softer now, not hopeful, not really. But leaving an opening for Will to contradict him, to convince him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know what I want,” Will said, with a shrug that sent the hospital gown fully down his arm, exposing just a hint of his chest despite his position. “Sometimes getting it involves a little mischief. But I’m always open to being… corrected.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A smile tugged at the corner of Hannibal’s mouth. “I’m not sure we’re on the same page in terms of correction, Mr. Graham.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m certain we are.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“My methods are outdated. Some might say barbaric.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Will rolled his eyes, smirking at the way it made Hannibal’s hands clench at his sides. He unfolded, stretching as much as his injury would allow, one foot sliding from the bed to the floor. “If you don’t want me,” he said, “I’m sure I can find someone else who does. Someone who’s actually willing to give me the discipline I’ve been craving. I think I’ll sign myself out against doctor’s orders.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hannibal was in front of him before Will could blink, one hand tight around Will’s uninjured arm. He looked surprised to find himself there, but it didn’t stop him from letting out a soft, “you will </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Will tilted his head back to stare up at Hannibal. There was the darkness he’d seen in him, violence carefully wrapped up in a palatable package for the masses. He licked his lips. “If you want me to stay,” Will murmured, “you’re going to have to give me a reason.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hannibal’s nostrils flared, his eyes narrowed in genuine displeasure and… something else. Something hungry. He held on to Will for a moment longer before easing his grip.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Dinner,” he managed finally, voice almost a purr. “At a restaurant of my choosing.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Perfect,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Will thought,</span>
  <em>
    <span> an offer of courtship.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Accepted,” Will replied softly. He wanted it now. He wanted Hannibal now. But as much as he was willing to play, he wanted to make sure Hannibal was the Alpha he felt he would be, he wanted to be courted and wanted, and he wanted it done properly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hannibal hummed, fingers stroking gently over the arm he’d gripped so strongly just moments before.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tomorrow evening,” he said. “Seven.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I work at seven.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not,” Hannibal interrupted softly. “According to doctor’s orders.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Will grinned wide. He couldn’t help it. “Yes, Sir,” he said.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>Dinner was fancy, and Hannibal dressed to the nines. Will had come appropriately groomed and in his best suit, which was a pittance compared to Hannibal’s tastes. No matter. He would be more than happy for the man to dress him up to his liking.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They talked, about work and not work, about their desires in a mate, about further plans for public courtship. Hannibal had written Will a note of leave for a week, and made the most of every day the Omega wasn’t at work -- where he shouldn’t have been in the first place.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You realize,” Hannibal said one night, during intermission at the opera-- </span>
  <em>
    <span>the opera!--</span>
  </em>
  <span> “that if I were to keep you, I would have you quit your job.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Will had, in fact, realized. His job was dangerous, and involved a lot of close physical contact with Alphas. He came home smelling like sour rage more often than not. “I’m sure we could come to an… agreement,” he said, daring to lean his head against Hannibal’s shoulder. Bold, but not too forward, even for Hannibal’s sensibilities. Hannibal radiated smug pride. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you have an offer to make?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You like to cook too much to give it up, and we’ve both agreed we’re too young for children,” Will pointed out. “There’d be little point to being a house Omega. How do you feel about Omegas teaching?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hannibal hummed thoughtfully. It was safer, certainly. The chances of getting stabbed weren’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>zero</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but they were at least slightly lower. It was one of the first careers that had been available to Omegas, historically. “I could be amenable,” he decided.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Will grinned. “Then I’ll teach,” Will said, “but I get to pick what field.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hannibal’s eyes narrowed. Will had learned Hannibal </span>
  <em>
    <span>liked</span>
  </em>
  <span> him a little sassy, so long as he always deferred in the end. Which suited Will just fine. “You’re going to pick something involving murder, aren’t you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I was hoping you’d be </span>
  <em>
    <span>amenable</span>
  </em>
  <span> to forensic psychology.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hannibal’s smile was proud, and Will ached to see it again, always, on Hannibal’s lips when he looked at him. He wanted to make Hannibal proud, he wanted the man to show Will off, he wanted to be worth the hype.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Clever boy,” Hannibal replied. Will just turned his head to nuzzle against Hannibal’s shoulder a little more deliberately.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>You have no idea,</span>
  </em>
  <span> he thought.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>On their fourth date, the fourth day, Hannibal invited Will for dinner for the next evening as they enjoyed a late lunch together.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“At my home.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No,” Will replied, turning his wrist as he considered how Hannibal’s gift of a watch looked on him. He felt more than heard the rumble of a purr that Hannibal made.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Courtships are public,” Will pointed out, setting his hand to the table, satisfied that the gift was as ostentatious as it was classy, and drummed his fingers. “Without a chaperone I shouldn’t go anywhere with you at all.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The look Hannibal gave him was challenging, but pleased. He’d put out a lure, and Will hadn’t fallen for it, hadn’t given away his potential ruse. Will smiled at him, tilting his head, and held his hand out for Hannibal to take. He did, kissing Will’s knuckles, eyes on the Omega the entire time.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You will come with me, however, and let me buy you new things,” Hannibal reminded him. Will preened. Yes, yes he would.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Day five: the opera again, but a matinee performance this time. Hannibal claimed he had plans for the evening, though Will was certain that was a lie. A surgeon who had taken an entire week off work to court a potential mate would hardly jeopardise losing even a moment of time with him. He let it go, of course, playing at aloof, playing at a pouting and ignored little thing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hannibal messaged him throughout the evening, things that would not be appropriate for an unmated pair. Will messaged back, pleased, wearing only a tie Hannibal had gifted him as he lounged in his bed with a paperback in one hand and his phone in the other. He read late into the night, and jerked himself off after, eyes closed, Hannibal behind them, whispering filthy things in Will’s ear until he came with a cry.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He resolved to let the smell linger on his skin, and did a poor job of cleaning himself up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Day six, a quiet booth in a shadowy corner of an upscale restaurant for breakfast, Hannibal’s nostrils flaring, his pupils blown. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>You</span>
  </em>
  <span> are obscene,” he murmured, taking Will’s hand to press a kiss to the knuckles. “If you were mine, I’m not sure I’d be able to let you out on your own, if </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span> is how you comport yourself.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean,” Will said with a smirk. Hannibal was too prim to call him out on it, he knew. It would involve being obscene </span>
  <em>
    <span>himself</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But the seed had been planted. Throughout their day together, the shops, the walk in the park, Hannibal was as handsy as he ever got, running his knuckles up and down Will’s arm, linking their fingers together, occasionally daring to duck his head and breath in the scent of Will’s curls. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Will had made him </span>
  <em>
    <span>hungry</span>
  </em>
  <span>, nearly hungry enough to forget himself, but not quite.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Day seven, with work looming on the horizon. Will had already drafted his resignation letter and tucked it into his glovebox, so he’d have it the very </span>
  <em>
    <span>minute</span>
  </em>
  <span> he needed it. Dinner again, but this time, Will settled his chair closer to Hannibal’s, let their hands brush, made soft, pleased noises around his mouthfuls.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It skirted being inappropriate, but Will behaved himself. The sounds weren’t obscenely loud, he didn’t make a show of presenting his throat, nor did he paw at Hannibal beneath the table. He just made it incredibly clear that the courting had been well-received and he was prepared for a commitment. He doubted Hannibal had the patience to string them both along another week, but should it come to that, only then would Will become truly shameless.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He needn’t have worried.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After dinner, Hannibal walked with Will back to his car, hands laced and shoulders touching. When they reached the vehicle, Will stopped, letting Hannibal move just enough for their hands to tug gently before pulling the Alpha close and wrapping his other arm around the back of his head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Will’s lips met Hannibal’s already open and eager, and he made a bright little sound of surprise when Hannibal embraced him tightly and lifted Will up to his tiptoes in his urgency. They kissed like they were drowning, like nothing else on earth mattered or existed but each other. When they broke for air, Will nuzzled their noses together, fingers curling in the small hairs at the back of Hannibal’s neck.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was purring, a trilling, pleased sound rather than a contented low one. He smiled. He couldn’t stop smiling.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You are a temptation,” Hannibal told him, though he nuzzled back just as ardently, held Will just as close.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Please take me home,” Will whispered, still pushed up on his toes, still wrapped around Hannibal like a lovesick teenager. “Take me home and bite me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was too quick, too soon, and yet…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There had never been another man like Hannibal. There never would be, not if Will had anything to say about it. He laughed when Hannibal practically carried him to the car, nose nudging along the gland he’d be sinking his teeth into soon enough. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Will wasn’t sure what happened between the restaurant and Hannibal’s front door. He was aware only of Hannibal’s scent, of the sharp white of his smile, a predator cornering Will against the door. Will let himself be lifted, carried, pressed against a wall somewhere in the hallway when Hannibal grew impatient.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hannibal was hard against him, thick and hot as he ground their hips together. Will hung on for dear life, matching Hannibal with biting kisses until he could no longer remember that their goal had been a </span>
  <em>
    <span>bed</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll ruin you,” Hannibal swore. “Thoroughly. There will be no other opportunities for you, if we do this.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ruin me,” Will whispered, gripping Hannibal’s hair to bring their lips together once more. “Do it, Hannibal, I want you to. Claim me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re untamed,” Hannibal chided him, “wanton, shameless,”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Yes,”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll take you in hand,” Hannibal promised, catching Will’s hair tight and yanking his head back so their eyes could meet. “Discipline you, pamper you, adore you, </span>
  <em>
    <span>own you…”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alpha, </span>
  <em>
    <span>please--”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hannibal managed to pull himself away from Will long enough to drag them both upstairs, almost throwing Will to the bed in his eagerness, and immediately gentling his roughness to a nuzzle when he cried out softly in pain, having landed on his shoulder.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll take care of you,” Hannibal whispered, “beautiful boy, I will have you all for my own.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Will was as desperate to get his clothes off as Hannibal was to bare him, and when he lay against the sheets for Hannibal’s eyes to devour him, he let himself be claimed this way too.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Will had never been a wild young man. He’d never been had by another, never managed to see a courtship through because he got bored, or the Alpha found himself unable to reconcile Will’s cleverness with his desire to be brought to his knees.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was an enigma. He was Hannibal’s to solve.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Will spread his legs and arched his back, lifting his chin to present his throat as Hannibal held himself over him on all fours and panted hot breaths against his skin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll bite you back,” Will told him, eyes burning, curious to see how Hannibal would respond to something like that. In answer, Hannibal kissed him roughly, his free hand dropping down between Will’s legs to cup his cock and stroke it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Will wanted to be bent to someone’s will, to be controlled, to have his choices decided for him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But he wanted someone to </span>
  <em>
    <span>earn </span>
  </em>
  <span>it, to prove that they could make Will feel safe, cherished. He wanted Hannibal, in his strength, his darkness. Hannibal, who threatened regularly to take Will over his knee, but who looked at Will’s intelligence and independence with admiration. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was slick, dampness against his thighs. He spread them with a whimper, Hannibal’s hand pulling sweet sounds from his lips. Hannibal’s other hand found his entrance, teasing with the pads of his fingers. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t be cruel,” Will whispered, pulling Hannibal to him. Hannibal nipped gently at his lips. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’d have you be patient,” he whispered back. “Teach you to earn your pleasure by pleasing your Alpha. Not by being such a demanding, bossy little thing.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ve pleased you,” Will countered, nuzzling him, letting his hands move over Hannibal’s skin, up over his shoulders, into his hair. “You find me beautiful, and clever, and you want me for yourself.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And I’ll have you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Because I let you,” Will replied. He grinned as Hannibal growled, slipping two fingers into him to work Will open.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Despite his talk, Will had always been very proper in his dynamic. He hadn’t had dalliances in his youth, he’d never penetrated himself during his heats, even with a toy. He was entirely Hannibal’s to claim and take; virginal and open to him and him alone. Will bit his lip when Hannibal added a third finger, eyes gold-rimmed as he gazed up at Hannibal.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Let me please you,” he breathed. “Let me show you how good I’ll be for you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>If you treat me right, if you worship me.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hannibal’s eyes were red-rimmed when he finally pulled his fingers free. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Present</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” he growled, the sound rolling down Will’s spine like a wave of pleasure. Will sucked in a breath. This, this was what he’d saved himself for. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>If for some reason Hannibal didn’t bite him after this, Will would rip the head from his body. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Will rolled onto his front, pressing his chest to the mattress, thighs spread wide. He heard Hannibal make a soft, hungry noise when presented with Will’s entrance, his hands gripping tight to Will’s hips. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The head of Hannibal’s cock nudged at Will’s entrance. Will closed his eyes, pressing his face into a pillow. No going back now.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hannibal was slow, careful, spearing Will open inch by agonizing inch. Will whined through it, his body accepting Hannibal hungrily. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This was what he’d needed, through all those heats he’d spent in suffering. He’d once had to bind himself with his own handcuffs to keep from fucking himself franticaly on his fingers. He’d wanted so badly to have this fantasy, to be ‘pure’ and ‘untouched’ when he finally found a worthy Alpha.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And now, he could barely breathe. It was everything Will had imagined, an all-encompassing heat that had him trembling when Hannibal’s hips were finally flush against his ass.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And this was when Will was coherent, he thought. He couldn’t imagine how good it would feel when he was in heat, open and begging for Hannibal.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>To Hannibal’s credit, he resisted a helpless sound himself. He’d smelled no one else on Will, of course, and had had Will’s word of his chastity to go on, but feeling him like this, knowing that no one else had touched him, that no one else would, made his knees weak. He pulled back, almost all the way out of the eager hole stretched for him, and thrust back in, hard enough to shift Will on the bed a little.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The pace he set wasn’t brutal; he was claiming the man with every pant of breath and every shove of his body, but he wasn’t cruel about it. Will had not only come willingly, he had kept his word. He presented himself beautifully, was so responsive that Hannibal found himself nuzzling his face, hushing the sweet, weak little sounds he made in pleasure as Hannibal grew thicker and harder within him, as his knot started to swell at the base of his cock. He wrapped an arm around Will’s shoulders, careful of his injury, and levered him up off the bed a little, just enough for his cock to brush Will’s prostate and have him coming untouched.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Beautiful thing,” Hannibal praised him, licking along Will’s jaw before sucking a bruise behind his ear. “Eager, hungry boy.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes,” Will gasped, hands clinging tight to the sheets. “Alpha, please--”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Please what?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Bit me,” Will whimpered. “Claim me, mate me, please…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hannibal’s teeth scraped along the side of his throat, a tease. Will made a wounded sound, his body fluttering and clenching around Hannibal, no longer in control of himself as Hannibal fucked him through his pleasure. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Please--”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hannibal opened his mouth wide and bit down, his sharp teeth parting skin, scarring Will permanently. The blood that dripped from Will’s neck to the sheets would never come out; Will’s vitality would forever stain the bedding. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Will cried out, writhing beneath Hannibal, held still only by Hannibal’s arm around his shoulders as he came again, little cock spurting weakly onto the sheets. Hannibal ground into him, his knot tugging at the abused rim, forcing his way into Will’s spasming body.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He cupped Will’s belly with his palm, as if he could feel each wave of his own release spilling into him. They would bear no children for a long while, Will’s birth control doing it’s job well, but something primal in Hannibal made him want to rub against the flat plane of Will’s stomach. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Both slowed to catch their breaths, joined tight and close by Hannibal’s knot. Will was shaking in his arms, his own hands white-knuckled against the sheets. He couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his face, the purr that rose rumbling and warm from the depths of his belly. Will shifted back against Hannibal, welcoming him even deeper with the movement, and turned his head to seek for him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Warm lips found Will’s cheek, smearing his own blood against his skin, and Will laughed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“God,” he sighed, trembling as Hannibal petted him, praising him with whispered words and the gentle rocking of their joined bodies. “Now I get this forever.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Will couldn’t have been happier if he tried. He thought he’d never find himself a worthy mate, would never find an Alpha good enough for his submission, and how he had Hannibal. Powerful, monied, clever, devious Hannibal, as his very own.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I get your hunger, your rage,” he licked his lips and laughed when Hannibal kissed the corner of his mouth. “I’ll greet you after work, bare and pale for you to look your fill, to enjoy every inch of me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hannibal rumbled a pleased growl at the thought, stroking up and down Will’s thighs now, easing the jittering little shifts beneath the skin. His hands stopped dead, however, at Will’s next words:</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll lick the blood from your skin when you come home after a kill,” Will murmured, hazy with lust and pleasure. “Beg for every detail as you fuck me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hannibal’s hand reached for Will’s throat, tightening in warning, when he could move again, and felt the laugh flutter against his fingertips. “Did you think I didn’t know?” Will asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It had never for a second occurred to Hannibal. Even with all of Will’s brilliance, his long and colorful career, Hannibal had never thought that he would be found out. He expected to spend his life fucking Will to exhaustion and sneaking out while he slept. He hadn’t been entirely disappointed at the thought.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But </span>
  <em>
    <span>acceptance</span>
  </em>
  <span>-- </span>
  <em>
    <span>reverence</span>
  </em>
  <span>, even-- Hannibal had never expected. His hand faltered around Will’s throat, but didn’t yet slip away. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Will tilted his head, baring his bonding bite. It still bled sluggishly; Hannibal thought it ached for his tongue. “You’re so beautiful,” Will whispered. “I see shadows in your eyes and I want to bring them out to play.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His body tightened around Hannibal’s knot, and Hannibal groaned, hiding the sound against Will’s jaw. He rocked forward, as deep inside Will as he could get, letting Will’s gasps spur him on. His knot kept him from pulling back, but he rolled his hips shallowly, pressing Will down into the bedding as another orgasm rolled through him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Will groaned, reaching back to clutch at Hannibal’s hip. “So much.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Brave boy,” Hannibal praised him. “Remarkable thing.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His heart was full, his chest felt compressed and the back of his throat itched with salt as he clung to Will and filled him until his body had nothing left to give. He turned to lick gently over the bite, cleaning it up, soothing the sting, ensuring that no infection would get in to mar it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When he pulled free of Will, the Omega stretched with a groan, arched and beautiful, before rolling over onto his back and reaching seeking fingers out to Hannibal. He took Will’s hand and kissed the tip of each one.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re mine,” he told Will fondly. Will smiled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know. And what will you do with me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hannibal hummed and shifted to lay on the bed beside his mate, one hand beneath his head, the other outstretched to stroke over Will’s skin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I have a collar for you,” Hannibal told him finally, watching to see how Will would respond. His eyes seemed to flash with pleasure for a moment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Should I wear it as I heal or after?” Will asked him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You will wear it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course,” Will licked his lips, shifting about just a little to get more comfortable before reaching out for Hannibal again, turning to his side as well so they shared a pillow, noses close enough to touch. “Proudly. I belong to such an esteemed Alpha.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hannibal’s purr warmed the two of them. “You will stop roaming the streets,” Hannibal added after a moment, watching Will tuck his feet up against his butt as he curled up small before him, comfortable, warm. “You may teach, if you wish.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I do.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But no more than four days a week.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright,” Will grinned. Nothing Hannibal said to him made him regret his decision to have him as his mate. Nothing was unexpected since they’d discussed most of this during their courtship. Yet having it happen now, having it all become real, made Will squirm in delight.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You will come to live with me,” Hannibal continued, stroking Will’s curls from his face, cupping his cheek. “And let me spoil you as I please.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And may I spoil you?” Will asked, teeth catching just the corner of his bottom lip. Hannibal smiled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“To your heart’s content.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And will you show me,” Will asked next, reaching to reverently touch Hannibal’s face. “Every little shadow, every little murmur of the thing that lurks inside of you? Will you let me in?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hannibal caught his hand, turning it to kiss the inside of Will’s wrist, just where his pulse beat against Hannibal’s lips. He could bite him again, he could make Will bleed in a way that would see that spark leave his eyes, and no one would know, no one would guess.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes,” he said instead, nuzzling the skin. “I think it’s time I had someone walk beside me in the dark.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>FIND US ON <a href="https://twitter.com/sw_writestuff">TWITTER</a> | <a href="https://stratsandwhiskeywritestuff.tumblr.com/">TUMBLR</a> | <a href="https://www.pillowfort.social/StratsandWhiskeyWriteStuff">PILLOWFORT</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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